OCD and obsessions
Articles on obsessive-compulsive disorder: why obsessions feel so real, how Inference-Based CBT works and what families can do.
- All · 83
- OCD and obsessions
- Anxiety and stress
- Emotions and wellbeing
- Relationships and family
- Trauma and dissociation
- Personality
- Asperger’s and neurodiversity
- Mind, brain and medication
- Going to therapy
OCD and obsessions"I bet goats don't get OCD!"
A patient's remark opens the door to metacognition and the mental self: why we give OCD obsessions their power, and why we are not our thoughts.
OCD and obsessionsÁlex
Álex had lived with mental contamination OCD since childhood. Now in his fifties, he explains how Inference-Based CBT (I-CBT) changed his life.
OCD and obsessionsEating disorders and the feared self
The feared self, a key idea in OCD, may also explain eating disorders: rather than chasing thinness, people may be running from an overweight self.
OCD and obsessionsHow Are My Obsessions Related to My Identity? Findings from My Doctoral Thesis
Why do some intrusive thoughts become obsessions and others don't? Findings from my thesis on the feared self and identity in OCD.
OCD and obsessionsInterview on Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT) for OCD (video)
A video interview (in Spanish) on the inference-based model of OCD and I-CBT: its core principles and concepts, explained as simply as possible.
OCD and obsessionsLidia
Lidia went through two episodes of OCD with intrusive sexual thoughts about children. Her first-person story shows that you can get your life back.
OCD and obsessionsNot all fears are the same: OCD
Rational fear follows the context; fear in OCD comes from the imagination and won't drop even when nothing justifies it. Why comparing them is unfair.
OCD and obsessionsParadoxical Intention vs. Thought Stopping
Postponing rumination or trying to suppress it: why paradoxical intention can help with OCD and anxiety, while thought stopping simply doesn't work.
OCD and obsessionsStigma, the self and OCD
Why do so many people with OCD fear becoming liars or selfish? Stigma pushes them into hiding, and hiding keeps them from asking for help in time.
OCD and obsessionsThe trains at my station
Your mind is a station and your thoughts are trains. A metaphor to understand why forcing OCD obsessions to leave only makes them stay longer.
OCD and obsessionsTypes of mental contamination in OCD
Mental contamination OCD takes four forms: physical or psychological violation, self-contamination, visual contamination and morphing. Here's each one.
OCD and obsessionsValidating the Fear of Self Questionnaire in a Spanish population (first research findings)
The first paper from my PhD: we validated the Spanish Fear of Self Questionnaire and found the feared self is linked to OCD symptoms.
OCD and obsessionsWhat If the Patient Doesn't Want Help? What Can the Family Do?
When someone with OCD refuses to engage in their recovery, the whole family suffers. A real case and the steps that can be taken to protect them.
OCD and obsessionsWhy a Well-Built Exposure Hierarchy Matters
In exposure and response prevention for OCD, it all starts with a good hierarchy of compulsions. What it is, how to build one and why to go step by step.
OCD and obsessionsWhy context matters in OCD (findings from my PhD thesis)
Do OCD obsessions arise in different contexts from ordinary doubts? Findings from my PhD on the role of context, and what they mean for therapy.
OCD and obsessionsWhy does my obsession feel so real?
The OCD story is the inner narrative that makes an obsession believable. What it is, how to spot it and how I-CBT works with it in therapy.